Device for charging furnaces



Dec. 3, 1957 H. KULLMAR 2,315,135

DEVICE FOR CHARGING FURNACES Filed Aug. 4, 1953 2 Sheets-Shea l HIIIHI Illllll INVENTOR: HEmmcH KuELLMAla,

fl/S AGE/V75- Dec. 3, 1957 H. KULLMAR 2,815,135

DEVICE FOR CHARGING FURNACES Filed Aug. 4, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR: HEmalcH KUELLMAR,

United States Patent Ofifice 2,815,135 I DEVICE FOR CHARGING FURNACES.

Heinrich Kiillmar, Dusseldorf-,Gerresheim, Germany, assignor to Actien-Gesellschaft der Gerresheimer Glashiittenwerke vorm. Ferd. Heye, Dusseldorf-Garre- The invention relates to a device for charging melting furnaces and particularly glass melting furnaces.

-In the early periods of the glass producing art the glass forming mixtures were manually charged into the melting furnaces.

This mode of charging was replaced by traveling ladies and similar devices; the ladles were afterwards in many cases substituted by motor-driven screw conveyors which press the raw material mixtures charged from a bunker into the glass melting furnace.

The charging of these furnaces was also performed by so-called pushers which push the mixtures to be melted into the melting furnace and spread the same on the surface of the molten bath. i

It is also customary to use troughs which are actuated by vibrators for the transport of the glass forming material mixtures into the furnaces. These vibrators are often operated by separate driving means, such as rollers and the like; the feed is controlled by adjustable levers, slides or gears.

The above referred-to charging devices serve the exclusive purpose to feed the raw materials onto the surface of the molten bath.

In essential contradistinction thereto it is the main object of the invention not only to feed the glass forming material mixtures onto the molten charge but to distribute the same uniformly upon its entire surface in such a manner that a layer of equal thickness results, which in the following will be denoted as a carpet layer or a carpet.

With this important object in view one or a plurality of charging troughs of a large width are used for the feed of the raw material mixtures into the melting furnace; these troughs are oscillated by customary vibrators, for instance, the generally known Hertz vibrators, adapted to apply .to the charging troughs a frequency of about 20 to 100 vibrations.

The novelty of the invention consists therein that the high-frequency created vibrational feeding movement of the troughs is combined with a second vibration of a lower frequency but of a larger amplitude.

Whereas the materials to be charged onto the molten bath are fed by the high frequency oscillator in one direction, the low frequency oscillator having a large amplitude causes the charged mixture to be distributed all over the surface of the molten bath whereby a uniform carpet layer is produced.

The feeding efiiciency of the charging device may be controlled in the customary manner -by the use of a rheostat resistor. By a control of the frequency and oscillation width of the low frequency oscillator the thickness of the carpet layer may be controlled in a simple manner.

In order to further secure a uniform thickness of the carpet over the entire bath surface the charging trough may be provided with distributor or guiding ribs which have a sufficient height to guide the charge as individual sections.

Patented Dec/3, 1957,

. 2 A known automatic height regulator or a time relay may be used which enables the maintenance of .an equal height of the molten bath. i

The invention is in its particular application to a glass melting furnace illustrated by way of example in the =attached drawings.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side view of a part of a glass melting nace and of the raw mixture feeding device; Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the feeding trough on line 2-2 of Fig. 11; i

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a schematic top view of nace provided with front burners; and

Fig. 5 is a schematic top view of a glass melting furnace provided with a multitude of charging devices.

As apparent from Fig. 1, numeral 1 denotes the latfurfeeding trough shown in oral wall of a glass melting furnace and numeral 2. de-.

notes the level of the molten charge.

- The glass forming material mixture is transported into the melting furnace 1 by means of the trough 3. This trough is continuously supplied With a mixture'of the raw materials from the char-ginge'nd of the bunker 4..

The trough 3 is in a known manner operatively, con

pled with a high-frequency vibrator 5, whereby a uniform flow is produced of the raw materials in the trough3, H The trough 31's bymeans of the spiral springs 6' and the spindles 7, which are adapted to be lifted and lowered, suspended from the frame 9. The rollers '8 are connected by frame 9; accordingly the trough 3 including its accessories may be moved along the rails 26. Upon interruption of the melting procedure and lifting of the trough 3 by the spindles 7 the charging device may be moved backwards and again returned into its charging position, as shown.

A second oscillator or vibrator is provided for the charging trough 3, which is denoted by numeral 10.

This second vibrator or oscillator comprises motor 11, Fig. 3, which over the driving mechanism 12 actuates the eccentric disc 13. The eccentricity of the disc 13 controls the oscillation amplitude; the disc 13 may be exchanged and replaced by a disc of a diiferent eccentricity.

Preferably discs are used which have an oscillation amplitude between 20 to 50 millimeters.

The number of the oscillations per time unit may be varied by a change of the gears or changes of the transmission discs 14, 14*. It is preferred to use 12-18 oscillations per minute.

The transmission of the oscillations to the trough 3 is achieved by the eccentric disc 13 over roller 15, whereby a forward movement is imparted to the slide 16. This slide is provided with rubber buffers 17, 17*, Fig. 3, which act upon the push-angle 18, Fig. 1, fastened to the trough 3. The rubber buffers 17, 17 serve the purpose to prevent transmission of the high frequency oscillations of trough 3 onto the other parts of the device.

Since the motor 11 only creates an advance movement, additional means have to be provided to cause the trough to swing in another direction. This purpose is served by the pull springs 19, 20, which are connected with the ledge 21.

Water cooled pusher 22 is fastened to the operative end portion of the trough 3, the cooling water is supplied to the pushers 22 by the conduit 23 and discharged through conduit 23*.

a glass melting furf {Fig 4 shows schematically a simple application of the instant charging device to a furnace provided with front burners 25 and a lateral single trough 3.

Fig. is a schematic view of a large cross-heated furn ce p ov e w th our o t a rou s 3- :By the somh n ti e as o x t d po the t ou h 3 by the two vibrators an excellent distribution and equalizing action is exerted upon the charge which accordingly is icontinnou'sly and uniformly distributed over the entire surface 2 of the bath contained in the furnace 1.

The distributing action is further improved by the distributing ribs 24 the width of the trough 3 being enlarged in the transport direction of the material mixture.

Since certain changes may be made in the above dei e and ifiere embo ime s of t n e t n could be made Without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Itis accordingly desired that in construing the breadth of the appended claims they shall not be limited to the specific exempliiications of the invention described herein.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tobe secured by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. In a device for charging a glass melting furnace including a reservoir for a molten bath and a bunker for charging the raw materials, in combination, an elongated vibratory feeding trough extending with one end to a point below said bunker and extending with the other end to a point above the molten bath in said furnace, a

low frequency vibrator in driving connection with said trough and operable to oscillate said trough parallel to its direction of elongation, and a high frequency vibrator in driving connection with said trough and operable to superpose onto said trough a second oscillation at an angle to the direction of said first oscillation and of a smaller amplitude than the same.

2. In a device for charging melting furnaces and par ticularly glass melting furnaces, in combination, a charging bunker, a vibratory feeding trough to receive the charged glass forming materials from said bunker and to deliver the same continuously onto the surface of the molten bath in said melting furnace, a first high frequency operated vibrator operatively connected with said trough to impart to the same an oscillatory feed movement, a second low frequency vibrator operatively and fully independently from said first high-frequency operated vibrator connected with said trough to impart to the same a second additional oscillatory feed movement of which the amplitude is larger than the amplitude of the high frequency operated vibrator.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,953,221. Good Apr. 3, 1934 2,164,676 Appleyand et al. July 4, 1939 2,290,434 Johnson July 21, 1942 2,533,826 Lyle Dec. 12, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 333,738 Germany Mar. 3, 1921 8 5 0,569 Germany Sept. 25, 1952 

